Developer Thrive has announced it has started building work to convert Foundry House, Foundry Lane, Widnes Business Park, into a new co-working space, which will feature 36 office suites and will open in autumn this year.
The renovation will see the 19,000 sq ft building transformed into 11,245 sq ft of modern, stylish office space, complemented by excellent facilities, including meeting rooms equipped with the latest technology, break-out areas and a garden area with external Wi-Fi.
Foundry House is the former estate headquarters of Widnes Business Park, a well-established commercial centre, which is home to over 50 businesses and has an on-site management team and 24-hour security.
Halton Borough Council Leader, Cllr Rob Polhill, said: “It’s fantastic to welcome Thrive to Widnes. The Mersey Gateway Bridge and road network improvements have transformed the borough and are providing much quicker and easier travel through Halton to the Liverpool City Region and the wider North West – it’s such an exciting time for the town and its small businesses.”
Foundry House is located within 1.5 miles of the A557 Expressway, giving access to the M62 and M56 motorways, and close to the recently opened Mersey Gateway Bridge and several train stations. Liverpool John Lennon Airport is also just five miles away, providing connections to destinations all over Europe.
The new office space will form part of the Thrive network, which currently has operations in Warrington, Newton-le-Willows and Wigan.
Matthew Settle, managing director, Thrive said: “Foundry House will not only offer great office suites to small businesses in Widnes and the surrounding areas, but it will also provide stunning communal areas and facilities, along with excellent connectivity across the North West.
“Our occupiers benefit from automatic membership to Club Thrive, which allows them to use our facilities at other locations as well as connecting them to other Club Thrive members. We aim to grow Thrive considerably over the next six months; in addition to Foundry House, we have plans to open in Burnley, Blackburn, Oldham, Cheadle and Farnworth as well as having operations in Blackpool, South Yorkshire and the North East in the pipeline.”
Office suites at Foundry House will range from 154 sq ft for 2-3 people to 795 sq ft for up to 15 people. Prices start at just £525+VAT PCM for a 2-3 person suite, including access to all communal areas and facilities, free high-speed fibre broadband and Wi-Fi, cleaning and a concierge service.